This review reflects my IVF experience under the care of Kristin Bendikson while she was practicing at Kindbody. Throughout my IVF cycle I had extremely limited interaction with Dr. Bendikson herself. In total, I spoke with her only about twice during the entire process. Nearly all communication occurred through physician assistants who acted as intermediaries. While they were friendly, they frequently needed to relay questions to the doctor and respond later. For a treatment costing roughly $30,000, I expected significantly more direct physician involvement and oversight from the doctor responsible for my care. My egg retrieval took place in January 2025 during the Santa Monica fires, when the Kindbody office where I had been receiving treatment temporarily closed. Because of this, I was instructed to travel to Newport Beach for the procedure. Despite the fact that Dr. Bendikson had been overseeing my cycle and monitoring my follicles leading up to retrieval, she did not perform the procedure. Instead, the retrieval was performed by another physician whom I had never met before and encountered for the first time immediately prior to surgery. Given how critical egg retrieval is within the IVF process, the lack of continuity of care at such an important stage was concerning. Prior to retrieval, my monitoring scans showed more than 14 follicles measuring greater than 14 mm in size. Follicles of this size are typically expected to yield eggs during retrieval. However, only 7 eggs were ultimately retrieved. When I asked why the remaining follicles were not retrieved, I was verbally told that my bowel was obstructing the view. However, the procedural note in my medical record states that the retrieval was "difficult due to abdominal breathing and apnea." The differing explanations have left me with unresolved questions about what actually occurred during the procedure. Even accounting for normal biological variation, retrieving eggs from only about half of the follicles documented during monitoring represents a significant discrepancy. From the 7 eggs retrieved, only 2 embryos were created. One was abnormal, and the single normal embryo ultimately failed to implant. Equally concerning was the lack of follow-up care. After receiving the call informing me that the transfer was unsuccessful, there was no outreach from Dr. Bendikson to review the cycle, discuss what may have happened, or talk through next steps. When I later experienced unusual symptoms and requested to see the doctor, I was ultimately told to follow up with my primary care provider instead. IVF is an emotionally and financially significant medical process. Patients deserve meaningful physician involvement, continuity of care, and follow-up from the doctor responsible for their treatment. Unfortunately, that was not my experience in this case. read more

Dr. Bendikson helped us complete our family after years of infertility. We're a two mom family and my wife had struggled to get pregnant despite no underlying reason for infertility. Under Dr. B's care, she had a successful egg retrieval with a very good recovery. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to get pregnant with her embryos. However, some years later, we reconnected with Dr. B to transfer my wife's last remaining embryo to me. I am so grateful that the transfer was successful, and we now have a perfect baby girl from our "lowest" grade embryo. Dr. B is exceptionally warm and knowledgable. She had followed our journey over so many years. She did everything she could to provide excellent care, despite her dealing with a tremendous amount of personal challenges during the time of the LA fires. She even gave us her number to text her if we needed her. Her care for her patients and knowledge about reproductive endocrinology are truly unmatched! read more

My wife and I were patients of Dr Bendikson at USC Fertility Center. In short, it was a very frustrating, expensive, and unprofessional experience I cannot recommend to anyone. Upfront, USC Fertility informed us they did not accept any medical insurance as they explained most plans had no coverage for fertility treatments. But we were free to submit to our insurances ourselves. This was our first fertility clinic so we took their word as truth. Later we learned from our second fertility clinic that our insurance actually did cover a significant portion of our expenses. In fact, all five other fertility clinics I called after requested our insurance so they could check our coverage. This meant USC Fertility was the only one unwilling to check their patient's insurance just to avoid extra work on their end. We had about 7 visits and we only saw Dr. Bendikson twice. The first time was the first visit during the consultation and the second was after I informed them we would be checking out other fertility clinics. Our doctor never even saw us for scheduled appointments. It was a different doctor or nurse every visit, who we would have to retell our background and information again and again. I'm pretty sure we saw every doctor they have on staff. The instructions given would change from each nurse to nurse and from visit to visit. When we brought up the conflicting instructions, the nurse would shrug it off saying the previous instructions and nurse were incorrect. One upside is that it is very nice and clean. Think of it as an upscale puppy mill for human beings. All the staff were nice and friendly. Every staff greets you with your name and your birth date. It begins to sound like your very own barcode; just another number in their system. Our current fertility clinic accepts insurance, remembers your name, and you see the same doctor every visit. tldr: 1. doesn't take/check insurance, responsible for full cost out of pocket 2. saw our dr (bendikson) only 2 out of 7 visits, first visit for consultation & last visit after I told them we were done 3. inconsistent care and instructions read more

We love Dr. Bendikson and her staff! After 2 years of trying to conceive and miscarriages, Dr. Bendikson gave us hope. She did a very thorough assessment and answered all of our questions. She is very understanding of how infertility is not just a physical issue, but can be emotional as well. Dr. Bendikson helped us understand our options and come up with a plan. All services were provided in her office, which is very modern and even has a Keurig. We never had scheduling issues or difficulty getting an appointment. Dr. Bendikson also responds promptly to emails and never made me feel like I was annoying her with my questions. Her nurse, Vicki, is also fantastic. Although we love Dr. B, we're also thrilled to move on to our OB-GYN! read more

I had the most wonderful first meeting with Dr Bendikson today. She is kind, reassuring, knowledgeable and thorough. I feel in the best hands with her. I cannot recommend her more highly for anyone with any fertility concerns. read more

FYI: Before I begin my review, it's important to mention that I won't be writing about my results. I do this because everyone is different and what I "got" or didn't "get" really doesn't change my experience with the team. Nor should it yours... I got to that place in my life where I said, "Okay, kids. Hmmm. I need to start deciding what to do..." and once this clicked in my head, and I did the research, I realized freezing was the best way to go. Just egg freezing. Not embryo. I'm married, but my husband and I just aren't ready and embryo freezing was just out of our budget. With that in mind, I did my due diligence, understood that in no way was egg freezing an insurance policy (please, remember this...don't be sold that it is....that would be heart breaking) and had the attitude that whatever happened, at least I did the best I could for myself. My gynecologist recommend USC. There are a lot of clinics out there--many of them are businesses that sell false dreams. Many of them are also top dollar. Though I was recommended to USC, I did check competitors before deciding to have a consultation at USC. It was indeed the most fairly priced and I felt that, as a University, the quality of doctors and the integrity of their technology would be tops...and I would not have to worry about them going out of business and worrying about my the security of my eggs! I booked a consultation with Dr. Bendikson. It is $350. A lot of money before you decide, but I understand their time is costly. It's also a good way to weed out people just "browsing." Dr. "B" (as I began calling her...) had a background that had the words "Harvard, NYU and USC professor" that gave me the reassurance that she had elite experience. But it was her brilliant manner of explaining and drawing out the process as to how the body works, how this particular process works and making NO PROMISES of big dreams- that impressed me. My husband and I felt she was the right fit. We felt safe with her. And doubly so after we met her jubilant, lovely nurse, Vicki. These two would later become my go-to's for information, updates and TLC. The last being crucial. Because this is a long process. A lot more than I understood--both for my body and my mind. Depending on what mediciations you need, the cost will fluctuate. Vicki immediately gave me details on applying for compassionate care. You can get, I believe, 15-75% off the medications this way. Now, I'm not the calmest patient. Nor terribly shy. But nothing phased these women. They remained strong when I felt weak. They replied to my emails on the weekends or when I even just wrote a line (that wasn't at all urgent) so I could hear back from someone who cared and understood. The nursing staff, there at 7am, are always upbeat and so gracious. But of course, it was Dr. B and Vicki whom my relationship became tight with. These women are bionic. They both have kids, families, hard jobs (to say the least) and a lot going on with patients. But they gave all to me. They never seemed tired or exasperated. Freezing took months of injections (not fun), going in every week (3-4 times even) and getting blood tests and ultrasounds. My experience could have been miserable...it was trying...but their bedside manner made it do-able. I couldn't have made it through without Vicki and Dr. Bendikson. The night before my surgery, I was in touch via emails which were warm and encouraging. And Dr. Bendikson was there early to greet me beforehand to reassure me. She didn't have to do that. She just cared. And the next day, she and and Vicki followed up. Because they REALLY cared (LOL-have I stressed that enough?) They have hundreds of patients, but they somehow make you feel you're the only one. Extraordinary. FYI: You do end up seeing most of the doctors when you go in for ultrasounds since your Dr. does have days off. But I never felt uncomfortable with that. They met in meetings and were all kept abreast of my case. I'm glad this is over for me. I'm glad I did this. The only sad part is missing these wonderful women as a part of my life. I MUST recommend Dr. Bendikson and Vicki. They are a brilliant, warm, dynamic duo. They were my beacons. Thank you all at USC. I wish I had space to write about all of you. My final word: this is no walk in the park emotionally nor physically nor financially. But the key is your "team." I had Olympians as mine. Good luck to you on your own personal journeys. And I hope you get as lucky as I did with Dr. Bendikson and Vicki. read more

Dr. Bendikson is simply the best fertility doctor (all of my friends who have used her agree). She is the perfect blend of honest/direct and caring, and was the biggest source of support during our short but intense fertility journey. When we got pregnant and graduated, we actually felt sad leaving her office because we knew we would miss her as well as her amazing staff - they made us feel like family. We would trust Dr. Bendikson with our lives, and feel beyond blessed to have her as part of our pregnancy journey (I am currently 8 months pregnant)! Don't look elsewhere, USC and Dr. B is where it is at!!!!! read more

I can't say enough good things about Dr. Bendikson. I first met with her in December of 2015. From our first meeting through my treatment, she was caring, thorough, thoughtful, professional and sensitive to my concerns. She was available every step of the way and my treatment was a success. Dr. Bendikson also encouraged me to seek additional care for chronic pelvic pain that I had been experiencing for over a year (and no doctor had been able to help). As a result, the pain has resolved with treatment. Dr. Bendikson's nurse, Vicki, is also wonderful. She's so helpful and kind. I highly recommend Dr. Bendikson and USC Fertility! read more

Dr. Bendikson is truly one of the best doctors anyone can come across. Dealing with fertility issues can often be a scary time. If there's anyone you want to be on your team it's Dr. Bendikson. Dr. Bendikson clearly has the smarts (look at her resume... Harvard, NYU, UCLA) which is obviously very important, but what makes me love her so much is her compassion. Dr. Benkidson always explains her through process behind every test and procedure she does. She always has the best intentions and takes all the appropriate steps to help with the issues you may be going through. She makes you feel safe and never like you're a bother. She is also AVAILABLE which is so hard to come across these days. There was never a time I emailed her and didn't have a response from her within a few hours. I can't say enough about Dr. Bendikson. Thank you, Dr. Bendikson, for helping me through one of the hardest times in my life. read more

Love Dr. Bendikson and USC fertility staff! Went to another fertility clinic with unsuccessful results and then did IVF with Dr. Bendikson and became pregnant! read more

Due to the poor customer service, I am not coming back to USC Fertility while the financial advisor that I met with is still working here. When I called USC Fertility to set-up an initial consultation for egg freezing, I had high hopes. I knew this was something that I wanted to do and thrilled that there was a place close to where I worked. During the call, the receptionist was pleasant and explained to me that the initial consultation fee would be $350 and would cover an initial consultation with my doctor, an ultra sound and a consultation with a financial advisor. Dr. Bendikson was wonderful. She explained to me the egg freezing process and asked me to come in on the second day of my period for the ultrasound. I wished that the receptionist had told me to come in during my period as it's difficult for me to take time off of work and I already had a lot of information on the egg freezing process so I really came for the ultrasound, but I was okay with it. The doctor's assistant was upbeat and wonderful as well. Then I met with the financial advisor Joanna? Morales. I noticed right away that she didn't have the same caring and professional demeanor as the others that I had encountered in the office. She gave me two sheets listing procedures costing several thousand dollars and spent about thirty seconds explaining them. Despite the abbreviated explanation and complete lack of acknowledgment that this was a significant investment, I was fine with it as I was already expecting to pay $10,000+. Then I asked for confirmation that the $350 initial consultation fee would include the ultrasound, even though I was getting it done on a different day. She said no, but that it would be included in the thousand dollars I was already paying for the egg freezing. I explained that I wasn't moving forward with the egg freezing for another six months and explained that the receptionist had told me that the ultrasound was included and that I would not have come otherwise. "Sorry, there's nothing I can do to help you," she responded. I then asked to speak to a manager. After waiting for 10-15 minutes, I was disappointed to see Ms. Morales again instead of a manager: - "Sorry, but the Manager isn't available to speak to you." - "Are you sure? I can wait." - "Sorry, she isn't available." (Her tone becoming hostile.) - "I can wait until she is available." - "She isn't available." (Her tone becoming even more hostile.) I then asked how much the ultrasound would cost if I came in on the second day of my period and she said an additional $391 (or somewhere around there) and clarified that it would have been included in my initial consultation fee if I was on my period during the time. - "But nobody told me that. Otherwise I clearly would have come in when I had my period. Anyone would..." - "Sorry, but there's nothing I can do to help you. I don't know what to tell you. This is USC. What do you want me to do, yell?" Um...no. I want you, at the very least, to apologize for the confusion. I want you to talk to act like a professional, especially if I'll have to interact with you throughout this process. Instead, she proceeded to actually laugh in my face. Egg freezing is a significant economic and emotional investment, and I know I'll need a supporting and caring environment. This woman made the environment at USC Fertility toxic for me. As such, I'll now be looking for somewhere else. read more

I can not recommend Dr. Bendikson, her nurse Vicki, and The rest of the USC Fertility team enough!!!! My husband and I had been trying to conceive for about 6 months just prior to my 38th birthday with no success. Because of our age and hectic occupations we decided to move forward with IVF. We had researched what we were getting into, but Dr. Bendikson had such a wonderful way of explaining the process. After our first consultation, we felt educated and hopeful, but also realistic regarding the IVF process and it's outcomes. Her bedside manner is both emotionally comforting, but logical and measured. This kept us optimistic with reasonable expectations. No small feat and Dr. Bendikson accomplishes this with ease. In addition, Dr. Bendikson's nurse Vicki is hands down the sunniest person my husband and I have ever met! She's a total delight and just like Dr. B, she's incredibly informative, patient, and comforting. My husband commented that Vicki and Dr. Bendikson are a "dream team" and that they are people "who found EXACTLY what they should be doing in life." It's so true!!!! As for our results, we ended up having great success and are looking forward to our transfer. Of course, every woman responds differently to IVF, but I can not give a bigger endorsement for Dr. Bendikson, Vicki, and the entire USC team to guide you through this physically difficult and emotional process. Your body dictates most of the outcome of this, but for the rest of it you will be in wonderful hands with this team. Call them today!!!! They are the best!!!!! read more

I absolutely love Dr. Bendikson, her nurse Vicki, and all of the staff at USC. Dr. Bendikson is one of the kindest, most caring doctors I have ever come across. She genuinely cares about your well-being and truly wants to help you through your journey. My husband and I had been trying for a couple of years but didn't feel ready to begin the IVF journey. We met with a few doctors before we found Dr. Bendikson. As soon as we left our first consultation, we knew she was the right Doctor for us and she is what helped us feel ready. She took the time to explain every detail to us. She never pressured us to go right to IVF - as many other doctors do. She weighs the options and helps you feel confident with the decisions you make. I truly believe she does this out of the kindness of her heart and wants to help women get pregnant. The staff is very organized, educated, and kind. Vicki (our nurse) is amazing. She's on top of every detail, emails back over the weekend and way after hours. Dr. Bendikson personally called me multiple times to check on me when I had a medical issue. Not many other people would do that. I feel blessed that I found them. read more